Three-quarters of Champions Classic is back in Indy for Final Four

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo dismissed their previous meeting, an 81-71 Blue Devils victory in the Champions Classic, also played in Indianapolis. The game was played in November, a distant memory for the teams.

But the high-level games, which were staged for the fourth time in 2014, were valuable to the teams.

“That’s been a good deal for our programs, I think to play a doubleheader at the start of the year,” Kryzewski said.

The only team that plays in the Champions Classic and isn’t at the Final Four is Kansas.